LDS NEST BLOG

This month's doctrinal principle in Come Follow Me is "Commandments". Alisha did a handout here for her class.

Sometimes I don't think we talk about the 10 Commandments enough. I thought that about my own family so I designed and had a printed fabric wall hanging about the 10 Commandments made. It says the commandment then what my interpretation is for following that commandment. I redesigned it here for you, our Nesties. It's an 8.5" x 11" downloadable for printing. Maybe you can use it this month.

All you have to do is say is whether you downloaded it or not. That's not a commandment, just a simple request.

This research into the 3 different lives that lead to happiness answers a few questions that some of us have. Namely, how can people who do contrary to the Lord's gospel be happy? And how can people who do and sacrifice so much for the gospel still be happy? The principles and practices our LDS lifestyle matched up to the happy life ideas Seligman talks about might give a little insight. (MY thoughts are listed below in pink.)

It was interesting to see which areas I spend my time doing and my relative happiness. So, really I shouldn't be weary in well-doing. So should the phrase be, 'don't weary, be happy'? Okay, I'll say it, "uhh No!" Looking at this, lives 2 & 3 are where I want to be most. But I do like a little whipped cream pleasure in my life.

When I heard this while listening to General Conference I knew I'd share it with you Nesties. I'm sure alot of you remember this.

President Thomas S. Monson shared the experience of Jay Hess, an airman who was shot down over North Vietnam in the 1960s: “For two years his family had no idea whether he was dead or alive. His captors in Hanoi eventually allowed him to write home but limited his message to less than 25 words.” President Monson asks: “What would you and I say to our families if we were in the same situation—not having seen them for over two years and not knowing if we would ever see them again? Wanting to provide something his family could recognize as having come from him and also wanting to give them valuable counsel, Brother Hess wrote [the following words]: ‘These things are important: temple marriage, mission, college. Press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year.’”7What words would you write to your children if you had 25 words or less?General Conference April 2013 • Rosemary M. Wixom

Before conference was over (in all honesty probably before her talk was over) I had written my 25 words. Quick. Raw. From the gut. Doing something like that, spontaneously, gets to the instinctual, real thing. Here's what I felt I would say to my family if I were in that circumstance -

My 25 Words

Love, learn of, and follow God. Love yourself and others. Repent. Forgive. Have a family and serve them. Have vision, see eternally. I love you.

At that moment, if I had 25 words that would be it.

Sometimes it's just good to hear what others say. One of our blog commenters Pebbles & Pigtails had the same idea about 25 words too. It would also be good to here your words.

Have you taken the challenge?What would you write to your children if you had 25 words?